


Patterns

by EggMuffin



Category: Kingsman (Movies)
Genre: Acquired Savant Syndrome, Gen, M/M, There is a kiss, idk what i'm doing anymore, not TGC compliant, the teen rating is here solely for the swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-03
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-10 15:47:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11694852
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EggMuffin/pseuds/EggMuffin
Summary: Eggsy hits his head while out on a run. He wakes up a mathematical genius, but his new talent comes at a price.





	Patterns

Kingsman is the best thing that has happened to Eggsy. Yeah, he feels guilty as hell for leaving his mum again, but this is his chance to make something of himself, to turn his life around. So he focuses on his training, works until his muscles are sore and he can’t think straight from the exhaustion – and it’s worth it, because it’s him and Roxy and Charlie left and he’s going to fucking become a Kingsman. He has to.

He’s still burning with adrenaline and reckless energy from the parachute test, unable to sit still, feeling like he might combust any moment. Roxy looks at him like he’s insane when he tells her that he’s going for a run, but then again, maybe he is. He doesn’t say anything to Charlie, because fuck that guy, seriously.

Eggsy’s lowkey hoping to see Harry on his way out. It’s been a couple of days since they’ve seen each other and Eggsy’s sure that Harry has all sorts of important stuff to do, but Percival dropped by to see Roxy earlier (because by now, everyone knows everyone’s sponsors. Charlie’s is Chester King, because of fucking course it is). He doesn’t miss Harry, not really – at least that’s what he tells himself – but he wouldn’t mind his company, lectures about manners and all. Harry makes him feel easy, like he belongs, in a way that no one else can. Even Roxy, who’s been a star, honestly, sometimes manages to highlight how different their upbringing really is. Eggsy knows that she doesn’t do it on purpose, but it still makes him feel a bit shit.

Harry, however, makes Eggsy feel like he was born to be here, like he’s important and wanted, and fuck if it doesn’t feel good.

He doesn’t run into Harry, but it’s alright. He’ll just have to find him tomorrow. There are dark clouds gathering on the horizon and Eggsy hopes that he can finish his run before it starts to rain. He shoves the headphones in his ears, grateful for the chance to actually listen to something he likes while running, instead of Merlin’s sadistic yelling, and sets out at a fast pace.

Eggsy’s halfway around the estate when he feels the first drops of rain on his skin. He could take a shortcut back, but he reckons that since he’ll get soaked anyway, he might as well finish his run.

He’s absolutely soaked by the time he comes to a stop by the manor doors, shirt clinging to his skin and hair plastered down to his scalp. He’s just ran 7 miles, half of it in the fucking rain, but he’s not ready to go back in yet. He wants to burn off all the nervous energy, so that when he finally goes back to the dorms, he’ll fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow. He spies the obstacle course and decides, fuck it. Why not? He could try to beat his previous wet time.

The course is best tackled with gloves and kneepads, but Eggsy doesn’t have either. He’s just glad he’s wearing actual trainers instead of those fucking boots this time.

He leaves his iPod underneath one of the obstacles where it will hopefully stay dry and takes a deep breath. Then he attacks the course without thinking about it and lets muscle memory take over. Run, step, step, jump, run, run, jump, grab, haul up, over, let go, land.

Eggsy flies over the obstacles, stumbling slightly at times, because the rain has made the course slippery. Still, he knows he’s doing pretty well. He feels his muscles burn with the exertion as he climbs up the tallest wall. He’s over halfway through now, only two more obstacles after this one –

He loses his footing on the rain-slick climbing holds and the surprise makes him let go. It’s a stupid fucking instinct and Eggsy tries to grab hold again, to hang on, but he can’t.

‘’Fuck!’’ is the last thing Eggsy says before the back of his head collides with the edge of the previous obstacle and he loses consciousness.

\--

When he wakes up, it feels like someone is trying to cut through his brain with a very dull knife. Everything is also too loud, too bright and too close and Eggsy feels like he can’t fucking breathe. He wheezes and chokes, screws his eyes shut and presses his hands to his ears as he sits up and brings his knees up to his chest, willing to do anything to stop the sudden onslaught of sensory information.

‘’Eggsy – Eggsy!’’

Someone is saying his name and it’s too fucking loud, Jesus fuck he can’t – Eggsy can’t take this.

He feels a needle prick his arm and he goes back under.

\--

The next time he wakes, the lights have been dimmed and the sounds of the clock ticking and the beeping of the heart monitor do not sound so ear-splittingly loud. Eggsy is so fucking grateful for that.

He groans and winces, turning his head slowly. He recognises the room as Kingsman’s infirmary, because he’s been here to see Harry before. In a surprising turn of events, it’s now Eggsy who’s lying in the bed and Harry is watching him from his perch on a chair in the far corner of the room.

Harry doesn’t say anything for a long while and neither does Eggsy. He has to turn away from Harry and look the other way, because Harry’s looking at him all wary, like he might explode at any moment. Eggsy finds that he doesn’t like that look.

Eventually Harry opens his mouth. ‘’How are you feeling?’’ he asks quietly.

_Like shit_ , Eggsy wants to say, but he’s finding it difficult to get the words out. He opens his mouth, closes it again, swallows. Gathers more spit, swallows again. ‘’Like shit,’’ he croaks out eventually.

Harry’s smile is wry. He stands up and comes closer, seemingly taking great care to move as soundlessly as possible.

‘’You can make noise,’’ Eggsy says and has to pause to swallow again to moisten his throat before continuing, ‘’it ain’t my funeral yet.’’

‘’The first time you woke, you were very sensitive to light, sound _and_ touch, and screamed that you couldn’t take it. You had to be sedated.’’

_Oh. Yeah, that might have happened_ , Eggsy thinks. He doesn’t really remember, he’ll have to trust Harry on this one. He _is_ pretty fucking glad that it’s not too bright right now, though.

‘’The fuck happened?’’ he asks instead of commenting on the freak out he doesn’t even remember. The last thing he remembers is – fuck, hand to hand training with Roxy? Parachutes? He doesn’t know which came first.

‘’You fell on the obstacle course. Slipped on the tall wall and hit your head on the way down. Roxy had the sense to inform Merlin when you hadn’t returned from your run after two hours. Merlin and I found you unconscious on the course.’’ Harry pauses for a moment. ‘’What the fuck were you thinking, Eggsy?’’

Eggsy might still be woozy from the drugs and his arms might feel weak, but that is just not on. ‘’The fuck, Harry?’’ he says, forgetting about his dry throat for a moment and regretting it immediately. Still, he goes on, because what the actual fuck is Harry’s problem?

‘’You’re perfectly fucking fine with me jumping from planes thinking I don’t have a parachute, not to mention sending me out on actual fucking missions if I get the job, but you’re trying to tell me I shouldn’t have been climbing in the rain?’’

‘’The trials have been nothing but safe, planned to the finest detail to ensure your safety and on the field, mission control always, _always_ knows where you are!’’ Harry says, and it’s obvious he’s struggling to keep his voice low. ‘’How do you think I felt when Merlin came to be, saying that you hadn’t returned and no one knew where you were? We searched the entire track and woods before anyone had the idea to check the fucking obstacle course, because who the fuck would go on the fucking obstacle course in the fucking rain?’’

‘’It was an accident, Harry – ‘’

‘’I won’t lose you to a fucking accident!’’

Eggsy has never seen Harry truly angry before and he decides that he doesn’t like it. He also doesn’t like the way Harry deflates as the anger dissipates.

‘’I’m sorry,’’ Harry says. ‘’We were worried about you. You’re right, it’s not your fault. We feared the worst, although god knows agents have come back from worse.’’

‘’I’m sorry too. I didn’t mean to – fuck, I didn’t mean any of it.’’

There is another moment of tense silence. Eggsy feels tired as fuck and the argument didn’t probably help on that front.

‘’I ought to get a doctor,’’ says Harry. ‘’You need to be checked over and then back to sleep, I think.’’

That sounds like a plan. Sleep sounds fucking glorious right now. Eggsy nods.

Harry’s small, tight-lipped smile seems so fucking lovely now that Eggsy has been in the receiving end of his anger.

\--

The doctor is a bit mad at Harry for not alerting him immediately after Eggsy woke up. Eggsy thinks it’s fucking hilarious to see Harry being scolded like a schoolboy.

What’s less hilarious is the way the doctor’s mouth sets in a firm line as he examines Eggsy. ‘’You should be fine,’’ he says after he has questioned Eggsy on his vision and hearing, pain tolerance, memory, and a million other things.

‘’Disorientation and memory problems are to be expected after a traumatic brain injury, as in sensitivity to stimuli, light, sound, and so on. But I’m still a little worried, because you were out for nearly forty-eight hours. We’ll keep you in for another few days, just in case.’’

He tells Eggsy that a nurse will come by with his meds soon and leaves, but Eggsy barely notices it, because his mind is still stuck on the ‘’forty-eight hours’’ part.

‘’Was I really out for two days?’’ he asks Harry, who nods in response.

‘’Shit, how much training have I missed?’’

Harry sighs and Eggsy knows that it can’t be good. ‘’Roxy and Charlie took the next test, which Roxy passed. Charlie has been sent home.’’

‘’So Roxy’s won then? She’s got the spot?’’

‘’Eggsy – ‘’

‘’No, it’s okay, Harry. I mean, it’s not, because I fucking wanted that spot, but I get it. Ain’t no one gonna wait for my sorry arse to get out of bed.’’

Harry looks like he wants to say something more, but the nurse comes and ushers him out so that Eggsy can have his meds and go to sleep.

_This fucking sucks_ , he thinks, _dropping out because of a fucking accident._ He had a chance and he blew it. _Shit._

\--

The next day, Eggsy feels better physically, but still pretty shit mentally. Merlin drops by and tells him that all might not be lost yet. They’ll talk to Arthur and see if Eggsy can attempt the second to last test separately. Both Merlin and Harry, as well as Percival, will vouch for him. It almost makes Eggsy tear up, which he chalks up to the injury.

He still can’t handle bright lights and loud sounds, and he curls up, hands pressed over his ears, when someone drops a metal instrument tray in the corridor right outside his door. The horrible clattering stays in his ears for hours. The doctor says that it’s normal and he should be worried if the sensitivity persists for a week. It doesn’t feel normal to Eggsy, but he’ll have to trust the doc.

He asks Harry to bring him his stuff from the dorms, including the tablet they’d given him, because fuck if he’s given another chance and the test turns out to be an exam and he’s not prepared enough.

Eggsy can only use the tablet for short periods of time without risking horrible headaches, but he works valiantly through the history of espionage anyway. He finds that he forgets what he’s read as soon as he turns the page, but he perseveres, because his memory is not going to get any better otherwise. He’s glad to know that he still remembers a fair bit from the lessons, though.

Eventually, Eggsy gives up on the theoretical stuff and moves onto cryptography. Having them crack codes sounds more likely anyway, so he loads up Merlin’s exercises and gets to work on the ones he hasn’t solved yet.

He breezes through the first few, noticing the encryption patterns as soon as he lays his eyes on them. He’s able to see the maths behind the harder ones and it takes him only a few calculations to get to the key. The last few codes are marked by Merlin as Enigma-level. Eggsy takes one look at them and sees the patterns behind the seemingly random series of letters and numbers. He can’t quite calculate these in his head, so he grabs a piece of paper and a pen and sets to work. It’s easy, so easy, that Eggsy doesn’t know why he hasn’t solved them before.

\--

When he was a kid, he didn’t really like maths. He was pretty good at it, but it wasn’t exciting. Eggsy could see how maths was useful, but it wasn’t _fun_ , was it? He didn’t see the patterns like he did now, didn’t see the clean, elegant maths.

If he had, maybe he’s have paid more attention in math class, because this – this was something else, wasn’t it?

\--

‘’Merlin, I’ve cracked your codes,’’ he declares as soon as the man steps into his room. All he gets in return is a quizzical look.

He hands Merlin the tablet and watches as the Scot’s eyebrows climb ever higher as he scrolls through Eggsy’s solutions.

‘’How did you learn to do this?’’

Eggsy shrugs, because he doesn’t know how. He just did it.

‘’Some of these would take ages to solve manually, if they can be solved at all. How did you do it?’’

_What’s everyone’s problem?_ Merlin sounds like he’s accusing Eggsy of cheating, and Eggsy doesn’t like the sound of that.

‘’It’s just patterns, innit?’’

‘’But could you see the patters before? During cryptography lessons, for example?’’

Eggsy genuinely tries to remember, but he can’t. ‘’I don’t think so,’’ he says, ‘’but me memory’s still a bit fucked.’’

‘’Well, fuck me.’’

\--

The next day, Merlin sits him down behind a portable desk he personally rolled into Eggsy’s hospital room, with a stack of different codes. There are modern codes, codes from WWII, even _ancient_ codes.

Eggsy cracks them one by one and Merlin checks his key and solution as soon as he’s done. Harry slips in at one point and watches from the corner with his mouth pinched into a thin line.

After two hours, Eggsy feels drained of all energy. ‘’Are we done here?’’ he asks, although they’re only halfway through the stack of codes.

‘’Yes, Eggsy, you’ve done very well,’’ says Harry, just as Merlin says, ‘’Two more, lad.’’

Eggsy looks from Harry to Merlin to Harry and then to Merlin again. He takes another sheet of paper with a code. ‘’Two more. Then bugger off and let me sleep.’’

To his surprise, Merlin actually buggers off after he has checked Eggsy’s second solution. Eggsy collapses on the bed. ‘’What’s this about?’’ he asks, hoping that Harry will give him an answer, because Merlin sure didn’t.

‘’Have you heard of acquired savant syndrome?’’

Eggsy turns his head to face Harry. ‘’Savant? Ain’t that like… Rain man or something?’’

‘’Well, sort of, yes. Usually, savant syndrome is present in people with developmental disorders, who show exceptional skill in a specific area. Acquired savant syndrome is a form of the syndrome where a person acquires the skill following a head injury,’’ Harry explains.

‘’So Merlin thinks that I knocked my head and now I’m a mathematical genius?’’

‘’In a nutshell, yes.’’

‘’Wow.’’ As far as Eggsy was concerned that was pretty neat. He knew he could’ve done worse; much, much worse. ‘’So what’s gonna happen to me?’’

Harry walks over to the bed and sits down primly on the edge. ‘’We don’t know yet. The trials have been put on hold because of your accident and – ‘’ Harry pauses and hesitates. ‘’We’ve lost another agent.’’

‘’Shit. Who?’’

‘’Percival.’’

‘’Oh fuck, Roxy – how’s she taking it?’’

‘’I’m told she’s hanging on.’’

They fall quiet and Eggsy mulls over the information. Roxy must be crushed, but now that Kingsman is down two agents, there’s a good chance Eggsy’ll get in. He feels shitty for thinking that, though.

‘’You’ll have a future in Kingsman,’’ Harry says eventually. ‘’If you don’t become an agent, Merlin will ensure that you’ll become a codebreaker.’’

‘’I’ll become both,’’ mumbles Eggsy, already half asleep.

Harry laughs quietly and fuck if that isn’t the nicest thing Eggsy’s heard recently. ‘’I’m sure you will become anything you want.’’

‘’Yeah?’’

‘’Of course.’’

\--

The next time Harry comes by, he brings Eggsy his clothes, and fuck, Eggsy is pretty glad to see his jeans and hoodie after living in Kingsman pyjamas for the past three days. He still gets headaches and bright lights make him want to throw up, but on the whole, he feels like himself again. Once he’s changed into his own clothes, he feels even better.

‘’This mean I’m getting out then?’’ he asks.

‘’Not quite yet, but Arthur wants to see you. I think he’s made his mind up.’’ Harry smiles encouragingly and Eggsy pulls a face.

‘’Fuck.’’ He has no idea what to expect. ‘’D’ya think he’ll let me stay?’’

‘’Merlin and I have made our case and if he has any sense, you will have a place in Kingsman,’’ Harry says as he opens the door for Eggsy. ‘’I don’t know what that place will be, but while Arthur can be an elitist prick, he’s not actually stupid. He knows what’s good for Kingsman and he won’t let a perfect candidate go.’’

Eggsy sure hopes that Harry is right. And really – it’s easy to believe him, especially when he looks at Eggsy with overt fondness and pride. Eggsy doesn’t know if it’s because no one’s ever believed in him like this before or because Harry’s using some spy seduction shit on him, but it makes him feel really good inside. ‘’You really think I’m perfect?’’

‘’Don’t fish for compliments.’’

‘’Yeah, but do you?’’

Harry stops walking and turns to Eggsy. ‘’Of course I do.’’

They’re standing so close, and Eggsy feels butterflies go insane in his stomach. Harry’s eyes are still fond, but it’s a whole different type of fondness, the kind that usually means you want to snog someone. And fuck it – Eggsy will take the chance. Maybe he’s read the situation all wrong, but Eggsy has always trusted his gut and his gut is telling him to go for it.

He takes a step closer, but Harry stops him with a gentle hand on his shoulder. Eggsy’s heart sinks, crushing the butterflies on its way down.

‘’I can’t, in good conscience, do that while your future in Kingsman is still unconfirmed,’’ he says, gently and slowly, all deliberate like.

It takes Eggsy a moment to catch on to the implication. Once he realises that it’s not that Harry doesn’t want him, it’s the uncertainty of the situation, the butterflies are back. He knows that Harry has a point, though.

‘’But after, yeah? Whatever he says, you’ll snog me after?’’

Harry laughs, exasperated and fond, and ain’t that music to Eggsy’s ears.

‘’ _Yes_ , Eggsy. I promise.’’

‘’So you really meant what you said when I woke up? That you didn’t want to lose me?’’ Eggsy’s been thinking about that confession a lot. Trying to figure out if Harry meant it in a I-have-feelings-for-you way or a I-won’t-lose-you-like-your-dad kind of way. He thinks and hopes like hell that it’s the first one.

Harry looks at him for a long moment. ‘’Yes, of course I did. I don’t want to lose you,’’ he says and his eyes and his tone are so impossibly earnest that it makes Eggsy’s heart clench up.

‘’I don’t wanna lose you either,’’ he confesses.

The moment is so tender that Eggsy forgets they’re standing in the middle of a hallway until they hear footsteps from around the corner. They share a smile and Harry leads Eggsy rest of the way to the dining room where Arthur is waiting.

‘’Go on, then. I’ll be in my office.’’

Eggsy gives him one last smile before taking a deep breath and knocking on the door. With anyone else he wouldn’t bother, but he needs Arthur to like him.

‘’Enter!’’

Eggsy does and makes sure to close the door behind him. ‘’You wanted to see me, Arthur, sir?’’ He stands by the door, all proper like, until Arthur gestures him to take a seat to his left.

Sinking into the seat, Eggsy can’t help but think that this feels really fucking nice. The chair itself isn’t the most comfortable he’s ever sat on, but fuck if it doesn’t make him feel powerful. He wants his own seat here, like the rest of the knights.

‘’Merlin tells me you’ve become quite the prodigy overnight, Gary.’’

Arthur’s words sound a lot like an accusation and Eggsy’s first instinct is to get defensive. He pushes the feeling down, because he can’t antagonise Arthur like that. Eggsy might be impulsive, but he’s not actually an idiot; he has to be on his best behaviour right now. ‘’It would seem so,’’ he says instead, toning down his accent and doing his best impression of Harry’s.

‘’As much as it pains me to say this, you are a capable candidate. Harry was right and Kingsman does have a place for you,’’ Arthur says smiling tightly. ‘’You are aware that we have lost another agent, yes?’’

Eggsy nods. Harry was right; Arthur might not like Eggsy as a person, but the thinks of the organization first. Eggsy’s got this.

Arthur takes two glasses from the tray in front of him and reaches for an honest to god decanter. Eggsy finds himself thinking that Kingsman is way posher than he thought. The fuck is wrong with a simple bottle?

‘’This,’’ Arthur says while pouring the drinks, ‘’is an 1815 Napoleonic brandy. We only drink this to toast a fallen knight.’’ He puts the decanter back on the tray and slides one glass towards Eggsy.

‘’We have drunk out toast to Percival with the agents, but I find that it is fitting to share this with you as well. After all, you might be the next Percival – if we can see eye to eye in certain political matters, that is.’’

Eggsy is confused. He doesn’t know what Arthur is on about, but it doesn’t sound like he’s actually talking about Corbyn and May – although he might have to tell Arthur to fuck off if he wants him to vote Tory. ‘’Political matters, sir?’’

‘’You are aware of Richmond Valentine, are you not? His free SIM cards are a method of – well, population control.’’

Eggsy’s still not following.

‘’You see, the mankind is a virus on this Earth. If you think of the human body, what does it do when a virus, a pathogen enters it? How does it cope? It develops a fever, of course. You see, Earth is the organism, humans are the virus, and global warming is the fever. I did not see it before, but once Mr Valentine explained, I understood. But like this, it would take decades, centuries to get rid of the virus – Valentine has proposed a faster, more effective solution.’’

It takes another moment, but once Eggsy catches on, he wants to either recoil in disgust or punch Arthur in his smug mouth. ‘’His SIM cards – what do they do exactly?’’ he asks, trying to look genuinely interested.

‘’I’m afraid I cannot explain the mechanism, but essentially, once activated, they emit a signal that disrupts the normal bioelectromagnetic systems of the brain, making people more aggressive and impulsive. When that aggression is turned against others, carnage will ensue.’’

_What the actual fuck?_ ‘’So people will – kill each other? What about Valentine himself?’’

‘’Mr Valentine has graciously offered me and other Kingsmen, as well as the social and financial elite of the world, a place in the new, improved world. I am inviting you to join us.’’

Everything falls into place. Offering the SIM cards for free, so that poor people would get them. The disappearances of celebrities and royals. And when Arthur looks down at his hands as he waits for Eggsy’s response, Eggsy sees the scar on his neck. It’s identical to the one on Valentine’s assistant that he saw in the video he showed Harry and Merlin.

‘’And he gets to choose who lives? Just like that?’’

‘’Naturally. He is, after all, the creator of this splendid idea.’’

‘’With all due respect, that is sick. I will not be a part of this.’’

Arthur sighs heavily. ‘’I knew your kind was useless. I really must have a word with Harry about choosing better candidates. Luckily you won’t be around for much longer,’’ he says as he reaches into his jacket, but Eggsy is faster and he’s not going to die without warning others. He grabs the decanter and stands up in one fluid motion, bringing the heavy crystal down against Arthur’s forehead.

The man falls down on the desk, gun slipping from his hand. Eggsy knows he’s not dead, but at least he’s out for now.

Without thinking about it, Eggsy takes Arthur’s engraved fountain pen from the desk and stabs it right into the bastard’s neck, prying the scar open. He fishes out something that looks like a microchip and yanks it until the wire comes loose. As he’s examining the chip, Arthur’s phone buzzes. Eggsy picks it up to see a countdown and a notification telling the recipient to get to a safe place.

He needs to show it to someone, but he doesn’t know who to trust. Who else did Valentine and Arthur convince? Harry? They can’t have Harry, he would never go along with something so fucked up. Or was the fondness just a ploy to get Eggsy over to their side?

Bile rises in Eggsy’s throat. He doesn’t want to believe that Harry would do that, but he can’t be sure. He picks up Arthur’s gun, just in case.

On his way out, he wonders if he should just kill Arthur right now. He decides against it and instead he goes back, and hits the fucker – _hard_ – in the back on the head with his own gun.

Eggsy wonders if he should go to Merlin first, but his traitorous feet take him straight to Harry’s office anyway. He pauses behind the door and gathers himself before going in – without knocking, because manners don’t matter right now.

Harry smiles at him warmly, but the smile disappears as soon as Eggsy raises the gun.

‘’Eggsy, what – ‘’

‘’Show me you neck, Harry.’’

Harry stands still, looking confused, and Eggsy – Eggsy really does not want to play games right now. ‘’Show me your fucking neck or I will shoot you.’’

This gets Harry moving. He moves closer, steps slow and measured. He stops a few paces away from Eggsy, who closes the distance and takes a hold of Harry’s jaw to turn his head roughly to the right and then to the left. There is no sign of a scar and Eggsy steps back, but doesn’t lower the gun. Instead, he holds out the phone and the chip with his other hand. ‘’Do you know what these are?’’

Harry still looks confused, but there is a hint of irritation in his eyes now, like he can’t believe that Eggsy would question him at gunpoint. ‘’That is Arthur’s phone. Eggsy, I don’t – ‘’

‘’Did you know that Valentine plans to use his free SIM cards to cull the majority of the population? And that Arthur was going to let him?’’

The shock on Harry’s face is evident. He looks like Eggsy felt trying to make sense of Arthur’s words earlier. Eggsy can practically pinpoint the exact moment Harry figures it out, because the shock is replaced with fury. He lowers his gun, willing to believe Harry.

‘’That is why Percival lost control,’’ Harry says and his voice is tight with barely controlled anger. ‘’Where is Arthur?’’

‘’Knocked out. He was gonna kill me and I wasn’t going to let him get away with this,’’ Eggsy says, waving the phone and the chip.

Harry hasn’t lost the murderous look, but he places his hands on Eggsy’s shoulders gently. ‘’Are you alright?’’ he asks and Eggsy has a flashback to half an hour ago when he thought he was going to get a job and a snog.

‘’I’m fine. Fucked him up before he had the chance. He’ll be out for hours yet. But what are we gonna do? Who can we trust?’’

‘’Did Arthur have a scar on his neck?’’

‘’Yeah,’’ says Eggsy and holds up the bloody chip. ‘’Fished this out of this neck, see?’’

‘’Must be a new one then, because I saw him yesterday and he did not have one.’’ For all his anger, Harry also looks tired and defeated. ‘’I am so sorry, Eggsy, for sending you to him – if I’d known – ‘’

Eggsy realises that it’s not defeat at all, it’s guilt. ‘’You didn’t know, Harry. I believe you. You would never agree to his terms, but I had to be sure.’’

‘’Of course. You’ve done so bloody well, Eggsy. You’ve held up better than most under extreme circumstances.’’

Eggsy smiles despite himself, despite the situation, and Harry smiles back.

‘’We better find Merlin,’’ says Harry and Eggsy hopes to god that they’ll have time to continue this later on, whatever this is.

‘’Can we trust him?’’

‘’We will have to find out.’’

\--

Merlin looks affronted when he comes face to face with Eggsy and Harry and their raised guns. Roxy’s got her gun trained on Eggsy and he decides that he does not want to be in that position ever again.

‘’What’s this about?’’ Merlin asks, and there’s not an ounce of fear in his voice or expression, but plenty of hurt and confusion.

Eggsy lets Harry do the talking here, because he finds that fluorescent lights of Merlin’s office hurt his eyes and make him uncomfortable, and all of his energy is concentrated on keeping the gun steady.

‘’What do you know about Valentine?’’ Harry asks.

‘’Exactly as much as you do, Harry, for fuck’s sake.’’

‘’He has Arthur. His SIM cards are for population control. Did you know that?’’

Again, Eggsy can pinpoint the moment Merlin puts two and two together, because his confusion morphs into anger.

‘’The fucker. How do you know?

‘’He tried to get Eggsy to join Valentine’s plan and then tried to kill him when he said no.’’

Even Roxy, who has kept her poker face much better than Merlin, lets some concern show now. Eggsy would be touched if he wasn’t so uncomfortable.

‘’And where is Arthur now?

‘’I knocked him out. Can we please do something about these fucking lights because I feel like I might throw up any fucking moment now?’’ says Eggsy before Harry gets the chance.

Roxy lowers her gun and so does Harry, while Merlin does something on his tablet that dims down the lights, thank fuck.

‘’Check their necks,’’ Eggsy says in the general direction of Harry as he sits down right on the floor, because he really is feeling lightheaded and nauseous. He lets the phone and the chip fall from his hand as an explanation.

Suddenly, someone wraps gentle arms around his shoulders. ‘’I’m sorry, Eggsy,’’ Roxy whispers. ‘’You look like shit.’’

‘’I feel like shit,’’ Eggsy mumbles back.

‘’Is it true? That you’re a genius now?’’

‘’How the fuck did you know?’’

‘’Apparently spies live for gossip.’’

‘’I though spies were supposed to be good at keeping secrets,’’ Eggsy says. Then, as his vision begins to swim and get dark around the edges, ‘’Oh, shit.’’

\--

Eggsy comes to to the delightful sounds of Merlin and Harry arguing. He winces and furrows his brow, trying to make out what they’re saying, because at first, it just sounds like noise. Finally, his brain starts to grasp actual words and sentences.

‘’ – take him with us!’’

‘’We can’t leave him here either! We don’t know how many agents Valentine and Arthur managed to convince. He’ll be safer with us.’’

‘’Harry. Harry, listen to me. I know you care about the lad and fuck, so do I, but he’s dead weight, Harry. He can’t stand bright lights and I’m guessing loud noise isn’t good for him either. He’s still recovering from a _fucking head trauma_.’’

‘’Merlin, come on,’’ says a third voice. _Roxy_ , Eggsy’s mind helpfully supplies several seconds later than it should’ve. ‘’Harry is right. He’s dead weight, but he can stay on the plane. He will be safer with us, we can keep an eye on him.’’

There’s a heavy sigh and even Eggsy can feel how tense the silence is. ‘’Fine. But if he ends up dead, that’s on you, Harry.’’

‘’I know, Merlin. Trust me, I _know_.’’

Eggsy decides that it’s no use pretending that he’s still out. ‘’Uhh, you could’ve woken me up to ask me, y’know,’’ he says, trying to make it sound light, but failing desperately.

‘’Eggsy.’’ Harry is next to him so fast that Eggsy has to wonder if Harry knows that he missed his calling as a sprinter. ‘’How are you feeling?’’

‘’Like shit.’’ He heaves himself up slowly, blinking as his vision sharpens and his head clears. The lights are turned down low, but Eggsy recognises Merlin’s office. Someone has moved him from the floor and onto a fairly comfortable settee, and Eggsy’s pretty thankful for that.

‘’Aight, so what’s the plan?’’ he asks, pointedly ignoring the way both Merlin and Roxy are looking away uncomfortably.

‘’We’re going to Valentine’s base. Roxy’s going to shoot down a satellite, I will pretend to be Arthur, and you and Merlin will stay on the plane.’’

‘’Giving the hardest job to the rookie? Gentlemen, my arse. But go you, Roxy, you fucking star!’’

Eggsy’s joking seems to at least work on Roxy, who doesn’t look as tense anymore. ‘’I know, right,’’ she says.

‘’We better get a move on,’’ says Merlin, who has exchanged the uncomfortable look for a determined one.

‘’Can you walk?’’ asks Harry, helping Eggsy up, his fingers clutching Eggsy’s elbow and shoulder far harder than necessary.

‘’I’m not a bloody invalid, Harry,’’ Eggsy says, sounding far more irritated than he actually is.

‘’I didn’t mean – ‘’

‘’I know you didn’t. Listen, let me have my mood swings. Like Merlin said: I’m still recovering from my head trauma.’’

Harry blanches. ‘’Shit. How much did you hear?’’

‘’Enough.’’ Eggsy has to pause and think for a moment, because he wants Harry to know that he doesn’t hold anything against him or Merlin. ‘’Listen. Of course I want to come with you, and yeah, I’ll probably be safer, because I can trust you and Merlin and Roxy. But I also see what Merlin’s saying. I can’t go out, guns blazing, because I’ll probably throw up. But if I do end up dead – no lemme finish, Harry. If I end up dead, it’s on me, not you. You can’t go and beat yourself up over every Unwin that dies, Harry. It ain’t your fault, none of it.’’

Harry opens and closes his mouth several times before he finally speaks. ‘’I won’t let anything happen to you. You’ll come back alive, we all will, and then we’ll figure out what to do with you.’’

‘’Can I finally get that snog I was promised when we get back? That is literally the only thing I want.’’

‘’Anything, Eggsy. _Anything_.’’

\--

Valentine’s base is in a fucking mountain, because of course it is. ‘’What sort of Bond villain bullshit is this?’’ Eggsy wonders out loud.

They dropped off Roxy so that she could go and shoot down a satellite like the star she is, and now Merlin, Harry and Eggsy were starting their descent into Valentine’s Bond villain fever dream of a lair.

‘’Remember, Harry. Try not to let Valentine see your face.’’

Harry adjusts his cuffs primly. ‘’How many years have I been doing this, Merlin? Going on – what, thirty? I think I know how to be a bloody spy.’’

‘’Well, you could’ve fooled me.’’

‘’Wait, why can’t Valentine see Harry’s face?’’ asks Eggsy from his perch on one of the seats, feeling a little left out already.

‘’Because he’s seen him before under a different alias.’’

‘’That’s a bit shit, innit?’’

‘’More than a bit shit, Eggsy, but don’t worry about me,’’ says Harry and turns to him, schooling his features into something that resemble Chester King’s ever-present sneer. ‘’You keep Merlin out of trouble. You never know with the Scots.’’

Even his accent changes slightly, and he sounds like a BBC newsreader from the 60s. It’s fucking unnerving. ‘’That is proper scary,’’ Eggsy says and Harry’s mask drops for a moment.

‘’Thank you, Eggsy. I imagine this is what the bastard lovechild of Arthur and my sixth form Latin teacher would sound and look like.’’

‘’Fucking disgusting,’’ says Merlin. ‘’Right, _Arthur_ , you best get going. Eggsy and I will be your eyes and ears.’’

‘’Tally-fucking-ho,’’ says Harry and exits the plane, as Merlin stands dutifully on the top of the stairs. Eggsy watches the transmission from Harry’s glasses and doesn’t dare to breathe until the strict-looking lady has given him the all-clear.

\--

It’s all going swimmingly until Harry darts the Swedish prime minister and Charlie fucking Hesketh appears out of nowhere to press a knife to Harry’s throat. Eggsy can’t help the hiss that escapes his mouth as he watches Charlie throw Harry to the sharks, or the jubilant cheer when Harry punches the prick in his big bloody nose.

Eggsy has to press his hands to his ears as Harry runs back to the plane, because the gunshots of Valentine’s henchmen are deafening to his ears.

Eventually, Harry makes it back, just as Roxy manages to shoot down the satellite, and Merlin discovers that Valentine’s machine has biometric security.

There’s a tense moment where Merlin and Harry just look at each other, and Eggsy’s like 90% sure that they have some sort of telepathic connection.

‘’I can’t go back alone. There’s too many of his fucking soldiers and someone has to keep his hand off the machine,’’ says Harry.

‘’You realise this means that we have to leave Eggsy alone?’’

‘’I’ll be fine, honestly. You’re right, Merlin, I’m no use out there, but I can do something here, yeah? Hacking? It’s just maths and patterns, innit? I’m good at those now,’’ Eggsy says, desperate to do something, _anything._

To Eggsy’s surprise, Merlin is quick to agree. ‘’Fine, lad,’’ he says and goes to retrieve weapons for him and Harry.

‘’You’re gonna be okay, right?’’ Eggsy asks Harry, who blinks at him owlishly for a second, like he can’t understand what Eggsy is asking him.

‘’Yes, of course,’’ he says.

‘’Well, you better.’’

‘’I have a promise I intend to keep.’’

‘’Can you two be less in love? It’s getting weird because I don’t know who I should give the shovel talk to,’’ says Merlin and both Eggsy and Harry’s first instinct is to deny everything.

‘’We’re not – ‘’

‘’Merlin, what – ‘’

‘’Fucking shove it. Harry, get your gun and be ready to fuck shit up. Eggsy, stay here and be also ready to fuck shit up.’’

Harry sends Eggsy one last encouraging smile, and follows Merlin out of the plane again. Eggsy takes a seat at Merlin’s console and prepares for the worst. He has to cover his ears again as the shooting starts and just hope that he isn’t missing anything important.

He hates this feeling of uselessness. What use is his Kingsman training if he can’t use it because he’s scared of loud noise and bright lights?

Suddenly the shooting stops and Merlin and Harry seem to be hiding in the little enforced alcoves in front of some sort of doors. ‘’Eggsy, we’re fucked,’’ says Merlin.

Harry doesn’t say anything and Eggsy is strangely glad for it, because he’s racking his brain, trying to think of a solution. What’s behind those doors? They seem to have keyboards on them, so maybe he can hack them to give Merlin and Harry a better place to hide?

The idea comes to him like a flash. Professor Arnold must have had that chip – it wasn’t Harry who blew up his head, it was the chip.

‘’Wait, I’ve got it!’’ he says, frantically trying to find a way to make the chips explode. ‘’The chips! I need to activate them to blow them up, just like professor Arnold.’’

It takes Merlin and Harry a moment to catch on. ‘’Oh, Eggsy, you are fucking brilliant!’’

‘’You really are,’’ agrees Harry.

_Computers are just maths and logic and patters_ , Eggsy thinks as he struggles to find the right command _. Come on, fucking think!_

‘’Ready when you are,’’ says Merlin and Eggsy knows that he’s impatient, but fuck, he’s doing his best here. _It’s a code like any other, come on, Unwin, you’ve got this. No different from the dozens that Merlin made you solve. It’s code, it’s logic, it’s maths, come on now._

And then he’s got it. _Activate implants?_

‘’Yes, please,’’ Eggsy murmurs as he presses enter.

The show is spectacular. Eggsy runs to the cockpit to see heads blow up in flashes of light and clouds of colourful smoke, but he can only handle two explosions before he’s feeling nauseous again. The implants keeping going off around him and he has to rip off the glasses Merlin gave him after the flashes behind his eyelids become too much. He staggers to the cabin and manages to sit down, sort of, before he passes out again.

\--

When Eggsy comes to, they are 30,000 feet in the air. Merlin and Harry are a little roughed up and exhausted, but otherwise fine, and Roxy looks pretty put together for someone who has just been to fucking space. Eggsy, however, feels like shit – and he is starting to get tired of it.

‘’Well done on those implants, lad.’’

‘’Well done on passing out and missing all the action, you mean?’’ Eggsy groans.

‘’Eggsy, you’re alive, we’re all alive, and you did an admirable job under the circumstances. We probably wouldn’t be alive if it wasn’t for you,’’ says Harry and comes to sit by Eggsy.

‘’Yeah, but – ‘’

‘’No buts.’’

‘’Fine.’’

Eggsy looks at his hands, mulling over everything that has happened to him in the space of a day. It’s fucking insanity, that’s what it is.

‘’Wait, so you’s saying I saved the day?’’

There is a chorus of affirmative humming.

‘’So do I get a fucking snog or not?’’

Harry smiles at him, bright and warm and it’s so fucking nice to feel the butterflies instead of nausea again.

‘’What about the Swedish princess?’’ Merlin asks innocently.

Eggsy frowns. ‘’Swedish princess?’’

Harry looks like he wants to murder Merlin. ‘’There is nothing – ‘’

‘’A very pretty Swedish princess literally offered Harry her arse if he saved the world.’’

‘’An offer which I graciously declined, I’ll have you know.’’

‘’Un-fucking-believable. I leave you alone for half an hour and you’re already flirting with Swedish royalty.’’

Harry looks genuinely afraid that Eggsy’s mad at him. ‘’Eggsy – ‘’

‘’Relax, Harry. I promise to forget all about your sordid affairs if you kiss me right now.’’

Harry does and it almost makes the clusterfuck worth it.

\--

_Two weeks later_

‘’So you think the sensitivity thing is permanent?’’

The doctor sighs. ‘’Well, perhaps not this extreme. But yes, the sensitivity will persist. You may also experience tinnitus.’’

‘’Guess there really are no free lunches, yeah?’’ Eggsy jokes. Still, could be worse. He’s now a mathematical genius, but raves are right out from now on.

‘’There really aren’t. But with time, you’ll get used to it.’’

Eggsy looks over to Harry who is lurking in the corner, _again_ , which is sweet and a little creepy. ‘’Yeah, guess I’ll have to.’’

‘’Well, then you’re free to go now.’’

Eggsy hops off the examination table and leaves the doctor’s office with a spring in his step and Harry in tow.

‘’Ready for your first official assignment as a codebreaker, Mordred?’’ asks Harry, casually resting his hand on the small of Eggsy’s back.

‘’Ready to take the throne, Arthur?’’

‘’Always.’’

 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay so. I just love the idea of codebreaker Eggsy, so that's what this is, I guess?  
> Some notes:   
> *Percival was sent to Kentucky after Harry refused to leave Eggsy's side, because he's a smitten fool.  
> *Acquired savant syndrome is a real thing and the side effects often include sensitivity to sound and light, as well as tinnitus.  
> *Roxy's a star.  
> *Merlin needs a little love in his life.  
> *Eggsy needs to chill.  
> *Also Mordred betrayed Arthur, but I guess Arthur kills him afterwards, so don't read too much into the codenames, m'kay. 
> 
> Find me on tumblr: [eggmuffinwrites](https://eggmuffinwrites.tumblr.com/)


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